


time works against us

by loganxiety (meathermac)



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Angst, Broadway, Burns, Complete Abuse of Actual Science for Convenience, Fire, Fluff, Gay, Gratuitous Use of Slang in the 1920s For Some Reason, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Explicit Character Death, It Makes Sense When You Read It, M/M, Mental Breakdown, Swearing, Time Travel, anyways enjoy, don't die, ig kinda, it doesn't stick, it was intended to be platonic but you want it to be romantic? have fun buddy, keep scrolling if you came here for the moxiety, like they die but then they don't, me trying to prove that i don't hate logan despite using him as an Angst Vessel, ok now for the actual tags, ok the moxiety is up to your interpretation, when i wrote this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-12
Updated: 2018-07-12
Packaged: 2019-06-09 13:11:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,428
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15268221
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/meathermac/pseuds/loganxiety
Summary: logan dreams of visiting new york city in the 1920s to see a stunning broadway show and its lead performer. with the technology available to him, he now can, but what happens when the lead actor is a bit more than he bargained for?





	time works against us

**Author's Note:**

> this was originally a tumblr fic! my tumblr is @adultmorelikeadolt! please, don't accuse me of stealing my own fucking work! if someone does, i will actually scream!
> 
> if you're averse to kissing or anything of the sort, avoid the scene that takes place on the balcony between logan and roman, starting with "“So, do you just randomly hang out in my private box?” Roman’s voice asked." to "Logan didn't really care anymore."
> 
> anyways please enjoy!

Logan knew this was a bad idea. It was a  _ terrible  _ idea. 

Did that mean he wasn't going to do it? Of course not. 

If you had theoretical time travel technology in your hands and you knew it worked, wouldn’t you use it to time travel to see things you couldn't see in the current time period?

At this point, he didn't care what  _ you  _ thought, because the 1920’s were on his list of places he needed to visit for the experiment so  _ technically - _

He just wouldn't come back. 

Or maybe he would, eventually. When he was satisfied. 

What other chance would he get to see this show?

And meet Roman Prince. 

Roman Prince was one of Logan's heroes. Logan didn't consider himself a Broadway aficionado, but he fell in love with the story of the Delacour Theater in downtown Broadway and its first star, the aforementioned Roman Prince. He captivated audiences and brought whole houses to tears. Delacour went from a small theater in the theater district to a worldwide phenomenon by one newspaper article on its star performer and his magical ability and voice. Dignitaries watched the show on visits to New York City. It was a status symbol, to watch Roman Prince perform.

Then he died. 

Morbid way to end Logan’s reverie, but it happened. The theater burned down and Roman’s body was never found in the rubble. It was a horrific tale. 

Logan  _ loved  _ it. 

It's not a concerning thing. He was fascinated by the mystery of it all. No one knew what set the fire. And no one knew what happened to Roman Prince. 

Until now. 

Logan needed to go see this show. And if he got to meet Roman and solve the mystery of the fire, it was an added bonus. 

He had clocked in thirteen minutes ago. He had two minutes until the routine test travel began. Logan was assigned to watch some scientist, which normally he'd be all kinds of excited about, but today he finally had a chance to visit the 1920’s. He'd passed his facility assigned destination off to a friend and was prepared to completely disregard his workplace’s entire rule system for a personal trip. 

Maybe he could think this through a tiny bit more. 

“Travelers to your stations!” 

...nope. 

Logan made his way to the departure point, nodding cordially at the person next to him. They'd discovered that traveling in close proximity to others yielded best results. 

Logan was doing something illegal here, but it was more illegal to leave a person from the 21st century stranded in a different time period than to illegally switch which time period you were going to. So Logan’s line of logic was that if they thought he could theoretically come back on his own, they wouldn't turn off his device. And they wouldn't send anyone after him, because it wasn't worth sending important personel after a traveler who wasn't actually doing something to actively change time. Also, it didn't matter too much if he talked to Roman, because he died anyway and couldn't tell any stories about Logan. 

He was dressed in the wrong period clothes, though. He'd have to buy some while he was there. 

Was breaking the law worth it to meet an iconic performer and possibly solve a mystery that no one really cared about other than a select few?

Call it poor judgment, but Logan’s instinct was to say  _ hell yes. _

It was a terrible idea. He'd already been over this.

“3…”

But the countdown was starting and he couldn't turn back anymore.

“2…” 

_ Fuck _ ,  _ I’m really doing this. _

“1.” 

Logan turned the dial on his watch and held his breath as the familiar rushing noise surrounded him. 

_Logan Sinclair._ _Transporting to…_ , the cold voice of the time travel AI prompted.

“1924. New York City.” 

_ Logan Sinclair, you are scheduled to go to 1913. _

Logan bit his lip and said, “Bypass requested for Logan Sinclair, traveler 4209.” He cringed internally at his number, remembering his friend Remy's endless teasing over the first three digits and shaking away the ever-prominent thought that he would probably never see Remy again. 

_ Please speak the bypass code.  _

“Galileo.” 

_ Bypass of scheduled destination granted. _

The rushing sound filled his ears once again as light flooded his senses and then it all went dark. 

And then he heard the yelling. 

It was New York City, of course, people would be yelling. The content of the screams and shouts was really what intrigued him the most. Modern New York was nothing like this one. 

Not the focus of his mission. If he was on 47th and 5th, he needed to go up two blocks and over three to get to Delacour. And to buy tickets for the show… 

He ran into an alleyway a little bit away from he had been standing to be sure he was out of anyone's hearing range and pressed a button on his watch. “Activate TALYN.”

_TALYN_ _activated._

TALYN was the service that allowed travelers to access necessary measures in order to not be recognized and outed.

No, not outed from the closet, though if Logan had had a service like TALYN to help him keep from being outed as gay, his freshman year would have gone so much better.

“Logan Sinclair!” the bubbly, happy voice of TALYN began. Talyn was the name of the person that had provided the recorded (not recorded, really, but Talyn had gone to a voice recording booth thingy, and scientists had figured out a way to manipulate their voice for the system) voice for the system, it didn't stand for anything. They really were a sweetheart - Logan had met them a couple times - and luckily, their voice was reassuring to wary travelers. “What do you require from the system?”

“Money, please,” Logan responded, glad there wasn't any way TALYN could be shut down on his device. It was possible… though unlikely, it was possible that Logan’s bosses didn't even notice he wasn't where he was intended to be. 

“What year?”

“1924, New York City.” 

“Where are you in residence here in New York, Logan?” the system asked. 

“Uh…” It was in that moment that Logan realized he didn't really think this through all the way. Where  _ was  _ he going to stay? “TALYN, search area for traveler stations.”

“There are no traveler stations in this area. Are you stranded?” 

“No. Can you deliver the money to my person?” Logan asked hesitantly, knowing the risks of something like that. But he couldn't just  _ not _ have money, running around New York City - 

“Yes, I can do that.” 

“TALYN, request for five hundred dollars in 1924 US currency.” Logan exhaled and mumbled a “thank god” after. “And scan area for civilians.” 

“Scanning!” 

Sometimes, the bright voice of a nineteen year old was disconcerting to travelers (and it got a little weird to hear such formality from a teenager) so there were options to change it to a standard Siri-sounding voice. But the missions get lonely sometimes, and Logan enjoyed having the voice of a real person as some sort of company. 

“There is one person within earshot of us,” the TALYN said. 

“Are they listening?” Logan asked frantically, used to the automatic transport to somewhere out of earshot of anyone. Bypassing the system just transported you to the safest place. 

“They are not paying attention.” 

Logan sighed in relief. “TALYN, who is the person? Any historical significance?” 

“That is Patton Anthony D’Ambrosia, 27 years old. He is an assistant stage manager at the Delacour Theater. He does not die in the fire, but he suffers a mental breakdown and is unfit to work after learning that his good friend and confidant Roman Prince perished in it. He spends the rest of his life cared for by family.”

“God, that's depressing. I kinda wish I hadn't asked,” Logan said, messing with a loose string on the fabric of his clothing. “TALYN, do I have a required name to use?”

“I believe you are allowed to introduce yourself as Logan Sinclair to anyone you must. May I ask why?”

“I’m gonna go talk to him.”   


“Logan, I think that’s a bad idea.”   


There was something so eerie about someone who sounded like a kid telling you it was a bad idea that resonated so much more with you - which is probably one of the reasons Talyn themself was chosen. It made you think. 

Of course, Logan was about to ignore them, so it didn’t work  _ all _ the time. 

“Deactivate TALYN.” 

_ TALYN deactivated.  _

Logan pressed the button to cloak the watch - make it look like a normal watch - and walked out of the alley, looking for the young man TALYN had identified. He found him almost immediately, and went up to Patton, tapping him on the shoulder. “Hello.”

Patton jumped back, startled. “Who are you?”

“Logan Sinclair. I’m sorry if this sounds rude, but do you work at the Delacour theater?”

Patton looked at Logan strangely, but answered anyway. “I do. Do I know you?” 

“No, you probably don't. I’m a huge fan of the show there, and it's my dream to get to see it. God, it probably sounds so stupid, but I used to wait around just to catch a glimpse of the actors and I would always see you,” Logan gushed. He wasn't complete shit at acting, and he knew that some well placed compliments and a coffee would definitely help with getting tickets easily.

“Oh, do you want tickets to the show? Aw, no one’s ever tried to manipulate me to get tickets before!” he exclaimed happily. 

“I - are you  _ happy _ about it?” Logan asked, incredulous. 

“I didn’t even think people knew I worked there!” Patton said happily. “I don't get much recognition.” 

“I suppose stage managers don't, do they?” Logan mumbled, adjusting his glasses. “I have the money for tickets -”

“No, you can come as my guest! I’ll let you hang out with me backstage. It's the best view of them all!” 

Logan stared at Patton, taken aback. “You don't even know me. Shouldn't we at least have coffee first?” 

“You seem new in town and you don't look like you know too much about the city. I love meeting new people and showing them around.” He seemed to realize something wrong with his sentence, backtracking sand saying, “I swear I’m not a kidnapper or anything! I really am just trying to be nice.” 

Logan nodded. “I believe you. Thanks for the offer, I guess, but really -”

“Please? Logan - can I call you Logan? - you seem like a good guy and I'm offering you a backstage tour of a show you look like you really want to see, and I'm giving it to you for free because you talked to me,” Patton said, messing with the sleeve of his shirt. “So… let's just call ourselves friends and go get some coffee.” 

“I - sure. Why not,” Logan agreed, having already thrown most of his logical thinking out the window. Patton really didn't seem that bad, he was bubbly and happy and he kind of reminded Logan of TALYN, strangely enough. Besides, the guilt of knowing Patton's fate was weighing  _ hard  _ on Logan. He already kind of felt like a monster since he was going to let Roman die - 

That requires a little explanation. See, Logan was already breaking fourteen different rules (a rough estimate) and changing time was against The Rule. If you broke The Rule, you were essentially a convicted criminal without any trial. The Rule had exceptions, of course, they got rid of Hitler and that kind of stuff, but we aren't going to go into that because you didn't come to this story to read about how some random time traveler got rid of Hitler (which is code for The Author Doesn't Have A Backstory So Don't Ask), you came for the story. So as a takeaway from this fourth-wall breaker of a paragraph, Logan couldn't save Roman from dying and he couldn't keep Patton from breaking down when those two things happened because  _ reasons. _

Anyways, Patton had dragged Logan around the city for about four hours before they actually made it to the theater. He didn't really mean it as a bad thing - Patton was hilariously funny, and he had some interesting anecdotes from the theater. Logan was glad that he'd talked to Patton, because if worse came to worse and he was stuck here in the 20th century for the rest of his life, he'd have a friend in Patton. Currently, Logan’s plan was to lay low here for a few weeks until the fire, and try and figure out a way to travel anywhere other than the hub he worked at, ‘cause they  _ definitely  _ didn't want to see him again there. 

“Logan?” Patton waved his hand in front of his face a couple times, trying to catch his attention. “We're here. There's still a couple hours until the show, but, uh, Roman’s probably here, and everyone that comes to the show wants to see the great Roman Prince!” Patton chuckled, opening the stagedoor for him and Logan. “Who's here so far?” he called to the open hallway, confusing Logan, but probably with good reason. 

Three dressing room doors opened, which was dissatisfying to Patton, apparently. He was only an assistant manager, right?

Patton turned to Logan, and as if he could read the other’s mind, said, “I'm only an assistant, but the real stage manager doesn't show up until… well, the show. And I have to take care of the matinees so I can practice for when I become the real stage manager!” 

Logan nodded slowly, unsure if this was like, a normal thing for theaters or if the stage manager here was just really lazy. His thoughts on that were interrupted by one of the actresses poking her head of her dressing room. 

Patton clapped in excitement (Logan assumed). “Valerie! Fantastic, so it's you, Terrence, and -” 

“The Prince himself,” Roman interrupted, shutting his dressing room door behind him. Logan and Roman locked eyes briefly, and Logan’s breath hitched. 

Because he was  _ right there _ . 

Logan recognized the other two a little, of course, because their names cropped up in the story of the fire a few times, but it was strange to see them in real life. And in color. 

“Who's this, Patton?” Roman asked, tilting his head towards Logan. 

“That's Logan!” Patton explained, though it was a little lacking. 

Roman nodded. “We don't know Logan, Pat. You gotta give us a little more explanation than that.” 

Patton shrugged. “He's my friend. I invited him to come see the backstage.” 

Valerie shook her head, sighing. “I think Virgil will kill you.” 

“No, Patton's Virgil's favorite,” Terrence weighed in. “He can do anything.”

“But if Virgil doesn’t like Logan…” she countered, prompting the others to finish in their heads. 

“Then we cross that bridge when we come to it,” Patton said. “Where is everyone else?”   


“They’ll get here later.” Roman gestured towards Logan. “Can I talk to you?”   


In his mind, Logan was screaming in happiness, which was… weird, to say the least. But he nodded yes and walked over to the corner Roman indicated. 

Roman waited until Patton had followed Valerie and Terrence down the hallway to start talking to Logan. “You seem like you want something.”   


“I haven’t even said a word to you yet, Mr. Prince,” Logan retorted, almost regretting it, but then again, it was just an added bonus if Roman actually liked Logan. He just wanted to meet him. 

“You’re welcome to call me Roman. Are you a fan of the show?”   


“I am. I swear, I walked up to Patton with all intent of paying for the tickets. He just kind of gave them to me,” he said, hoping Roman wouldn’t think it was too strange. 

However, much to his surprise, Roman just sighed and nodded. “Yeah, that definitely sounds like something Patton would do. He’s too nice for his own good.”   


“He seemed so while he was giving me a tour of New York today,” Logan agreed. “So, are you going to kick me out of your theater?”   


Roman smiled and shook his head. “I won’t. Virgil might.”   


“Who is Virgil?”   


“He’s the actual stage manager. He has another job, and Patton is more than willing to take over for him, and if I’m being completely honest -” He rolled his eyes. “If I’m being completely honest, I prefer Patton. He’s much nicer and more empathetic to the cast.”   


Logan nodded. “That makes sense.”   


“Anyways, I’d love to talk to you after the show. Did Patton give you a seat?”

_ Shitfuckhelldamn he wants to talk to me more? Why?  _ “No, he didn’t. He said I can watch from the wings.”   


Roman shook his head. “You can sit in the box they reserve for my guests,” he suggested with an air of  _ yeah, I’m that famous. _ “If Patton likes you enough to bring you here, you must be a semi-good person. I believe wholeheartedly that Patton is a good judge of character.”   


“Alright. I, uh, I guess…” he trailed off. “What should I do until the show starts?”   


Roman shrugged. “I’d find Patton.” With that, he walked back off to his dressing room, leaving Logan alone in the corner.

Logan trailed Patton for the two hours until the show, which was nice, because he got to meet all of the actors in the show, even if the only one he really came here to meet was Roman. He did meet the other stage manager, Virgil, too. Their interaction went… okay. 

“Patton, I count fifteen people here and there are fourteen cast members.” Logan heard as he sat on a bench near the dressing rooms, messing with his watch. 

“Yeah, Logan’s here!” Patton replied. “He’s the fifteenth person.”   


The other person groaned. “Who the fuck is Logan?”

Patton gestured to the bench. “That’s Logan.”   


“Okay, but why is he here? We don’t have any new actors scheduled to join us,” the other said. At this point, Logan was pretty sure it was Virgil, the other stage manager Roman had mentioned earlier, but he didn’t know for certain. 

“Virgil -” Patton began.

Ah, well, now he did.

“Virgil, Logan is my friend. He’s just here to watch the show,” Patton said, crossing the hall to Logan and placing a hand on his shoulder.

Virgil groaned for a second time. “Just stay out of the way, Logan, and we should be  _ great _ friends.” 

At about fifteen minutes to the show, Logan bid goodbye to Patton and headed to the box Roman had pointed out. He wanted to ask TALYN a couple more questions, but everyone was showing up for the start of the show so it would have to wait. 

But then again, no one else was here…

“Activate TALYN,” he whispered. 

_ TALYN activated.  _

“Volume down,” Logan said as the watch started up. 

“Logan Sinclair! What do you require from the system?” the bright voice of TALYN asked, though, luckily, quieter than normal. 

“Can I have the information for the head stage manager here? Virgil is his first name.”

“Sure! Virgil Xavier LeBlanc, 29 years old. He is the head stage manager at the Delacour Theater. He does not die in the fire, but ends up with burn scars on both arms from the flames. He quits his job in theater and becomes an architect, although history states this was not his choice of job. He helps care for Patton when he suffers his breakdown.”

“Why is everyone that works here’s story so goddamn depressing?”

“They watched their livelihood go down in flames with their biggest star in it,” TALYN responded. 

“It was rhetorical,” he mumbled. “Deactivate TALYN.”

_ TALYN deactivated. _

Logan messed around with his watch a bit while the minutes counted down to the show. When the lights went down, he fixed his attention on the stage. 

Needless to say, it was  _ stunning _ . Logan is no theater critic (seriously, he’s  _ really bad _ at critiquing theater) but this, this was beautiful. Roman brought the house down, and even the background characters, like the ones played by Valerie and Terrence, stole the show in moments. Logan couldn’t take his eyes off of Roman in his final solo. At one point, Roman looked towards the box and made eye contact with Logan, and Logan felt butterflies in his stomach. Though it was debatable whether that was from Roman himself or the song...

And thus introduces Logan’s dilemma. As the nights passed, he watched the show over and over again, paying more attention to the details and more attention to… well, to Roman. The hitch in his plan to observe and leave was completely screwed over by the handsome, genuinely smart, creative, and witty actor and his crew and friends. Patton was some sort of a human disaster wrapped up in a golden retriever-esque personality, and even the grumpy stage manager, Virgil, had grown on him. He’d gone to lunch with them a couple times, and by the second week Logan was there, he felt like a part of the production. Which was going to make it all the more hard for the people to forget about him.

Maybe they just wouldn’t, and if you googled Logan Sinclair in the future it would say that he died in the Delacour Theater fire of 1924. Even if that’s not what really happened.

That might actually be kind of funny to his friends that he would tell the story. 

Anyhow, he was getting off track. This place was amazing and he wished he didn’t have to leave everyone. Patton and Vigirl and Terrence and Valerie -

And  _ Roman _ . 

Logan was so happy he’d decided to break the law, even if his personal mission (to find out who set the fire and why the fire was set) was thrown to the side because Roman was kind of making it worth it. He was all kinds of impressive on stage, and he was kind to the cast and crew offstage. He was as good as a person as history painted him, which was insanely uncommon. 

And as previously mentioned by Logan, Roman was handsome. And Logan was gay, although while some historians (from all three that had studied the tale of Delacour) had argued that Roman Prince could be gay (cause in this universe, historians actually think people can be gay), he probably wasn’t, given the flirting he did with some of the ladies he met while Logan was there. There really is no more to that story than that.

But Logan was falling for him, no doubt about it. The butterflies in his stomach started appearing solely by being in Roman’s presence. And call him crazy, but he thought Roman looked up at his box ten times a performance now, as if he was making sure that Logan was watching, that Logan was impressed. 

About a week after that, Logan was leaning against the railing of the box after the show, reminiscing on his time at Delacour. He only had a few days left until the fire, so he wanted to ingrain this picture-perfect stage in his brain.

“So, do you just randomly hang out in my private box?” Roman’s voice asked. Logan turned around from where he was standing, solemn face melting when he saw Roman. 

“I just -” Logan sighed. “I think I’ll be leaving soon, and I wanted to see the theater from this view one more time.”   


Roman walked over and joined Logan at the rail of the box. “It is an amazing view.” He put his arm around Logan, pulling him close. “Why do you have to leave?”   


He looked down at the rows of seats sadly. “I have to go somewhere else. I won’t be able to stay,” he said, not knowing how to be anything other than vague. Logan couldn’t tell him anything. 

“I don’t want you to leave,” Roman whispered, upset. “It’s only been three weeks, but -”   


“I know, Roman, I know. I don’t want to leave either. I promise.” Logan stared at the stage. “I don’t think it’ll be the same anywhere without you.”   


“I feel the same.”

The conversation stalled after that, and Logan checked his watch, noticing the time was much later than it should be. “I should go,” he said, moving out of Roman’s one-armed embrace. He thought for a couple seconds, and then leaned over and gave Roman a kiss on the cheek. “Bye.” Logan walked away, blushing hard (although admittedly not as hard as Roman). 

“Wait, Logan!” Roman called, running the short distance between them. “I can’t let you leave, even just tonight, when I know I’ll see you tomorrow morning, without doing this at least once.” He put his fingers underneath Logan’s chin and tilted his head up, locking their lips together. Logan pushed him away, shaking his head. “That’s not - that’s not - it’s not okay yet. We - we can’t,” he stuttered.    


“It’s not okay yet but no one is here. Let’s take advantage of it.”

Logan froze, unsure of whether to say yes or to say no. Roman was upstanding, he’d let him go if he said no. But oh, dear god, did Logan want to say yes…

“For just one night,” Logan said, knowing this was a bad idea, but not really giving a fuck anymore.

Roman threaded his fingers through Logan’s hair, pulling him closer and locking their lips together once again. Logan, in turn, wrapped his arms around Roman’s waist, keeping their bodies close together.

_ This is bad. It’s still illegal. You could ruin Roman’s reputation.  _

Well, he is going to die anyway. 

_ That’s a bad point of view. Anyway, being gay is still very, very, illegal here.  _

Logan didn’t really care anymore.

The day after the two were kissing in the box, Logan was still pretty sure his face was as red as a tomato. It had been a great night, but Patton and Virgil were definitely picking up on Logan’s mood, cause Patton kept smiling happily at him (way more than usual, if that was possible) and Virgil gave him a very unsubtle “what did you  _ do _ last night?” look (thought it could also be interpreted as “who did you do last night?). 

Despite the events of last night, Logan couldn’t shake the constant knowledge of what would happen in a couple days. So far, there was no malicious person that the fire could be blamed on, which was anticlimactic, cause a small part of Logan wanted it to be this big mystery that he could solve. Turns out the historians were right. (Stupid historians.)

Well, they were also right about Roman being gay, so… good on you, historians, kind of. 

He’d definitely flirted with girls, though. There were records of previous girlfriends of his, too. So… the historians were wrong? 

You know what, fuck the historians. Back to the story.

He only had two shows left before the theater burned down, and he felt like a heavy, dark fog had settled around him, distancing him from his new friends and whatever Roman and him were. The second to last show passed in a blur; the only thing Logan remembered was a look shared between Roman and himself that made him sure of two things. 

One, that he was definitely in love with Roman. And two, that he probably wasn’t going to be the same after this. So mark his little personal mission down as a failure. The fog Logan had mentioned earlier only felt as if it was getting thicker.

Patton was definitely also picking up on his mood. In fact, on the day of the last show (the next day, the theater would burn down before the performance), Patton cornered Logan by the curtains and asked him, “Are you alright?”   
Logan took a deep breath. “Yeah, yeah, I’m fine. I just have to leave tomorrow, and it’s weighing on me.”

“Aw, you’re leaving? That’s awful, we’re really going to miss you here.”

“You have no idea,” Logan mumbled. “I’m going to miss you guys too. Promise me, Patton, don’t let anything get in the way of the rest of your life.”

“Of course.” Patton embraced him, which made Logan want to start sobbing right there. Patton didn’t deserve what was going to happen to him. 

Neither did Roman. 

_ Roman. _

What was Logan going to do?

What would you do? If you knew that one person was going to die, and more were going to suffer, would you tell them? Was their blood on your hands if you said nothing? 

But throw in some other variables. You’re in love with the person who’s going to die. Those who will suffer are your friends.

What are you supposed to do then?   


Good thing that doesn’t apply to you, huh? 

And really sucks for Logan, cause it did. 

He’d resolved in his head to leave it alone, but Roman… 

As much as he adored Patton and Virgil, they survived the fire. And they had each other for the rest of their lives, according to TALYN. Roman didn’t survive.

He had no one to talk to. 

Unless he went to Roman. 

After spending the night and most the morning deliberating (see: dying inside, but slowly), Logan eventually broke down the afternoon of the fire and ran into Roman’s dressing room. 

Roman jumped, turning to face Logan from where he was sitting, doing some slight makeup at his vanity. “Logan? Darling, what are you doing here?”

“Roman, there’s something I need to tell you,” Logan said, voice breaking. “And you’re not going to like it.”   


“What, are you breaking up with me?” Roman chuckled nervously. “Today’s your last day, isn’t it?”   


“It is. Roman, in about thirty minutes, this building is going to burn down, and you are the only one who doesn’t make it out.”   


Roman dropped his makeup brush. “Logan, what the hell?”

“I wish I was kidding.” He sighed. “Activate TALYN.”

_ TALYN activated. _

“Logan Sinclair! What do you require from the system?” said the bubbly voice of Logan’s TALYN.

“Darling, I think your watch is possessed,” Roman said, voice shaking. 

Despite the situation, Logan laughed. “No, it isn’t. TALYN, what are you?”

“I am an interactive system designed to help travelers find their way around the universe! My voice is the voice of Mx Talyn, hence my name! This TALYN is the personal property of Mr. Logan Mattheus Sinclair.”   


“Deactivate TALYN. See?” Logan said, showing Roman his watch. “It’s not possessed.”

“Travelers - travelers? Lo - Logan, what are you?” Roman asked, voice panicky. 

“I’m human, don’t worry,” Logan reassured him. “But I’m not from 1924. I’m from the future.”   


“You’re from the what now?”   


“The future. And come thirty minutes…” Logan launched into his explanation which you’ve already read thirteen times, so I won’t make you read it again. Roman dies, Patton has a breakdown, Virgil gets burned, Logan feels bad, etcetera. 

After Logan had finished, Roman sat down, having been pacing while Logan was talking. “So… what do you want me to do?”   


“Well, I’m gonna kiss you goodbye, and then I want you to run towards Patton and Virgil’s office. They get out, but you never made it out of your dressing room. So get out of your dressing room.”   


“Can I have that goodbye kiss now?” Roman asked, faking a sweet voice to cover up the fact that he was clearly scared. Logan nodded and leaned in, pressing his lips to Roman’s and placing his hand behind Roman’s head. Roman pulling back quickly, coughing. 

“Roman, are you okay?” Logan asked frantically. “What’s wrong?”   


“Smoke, Logan.”

Logan glanced around the room. Sure enough, there was already thick black smoke trickling in from under the door. “I’m too late. I was too late.”   


He could hear banging on the door. “Roman? Are you okay?” 

_ Virgil. _

Is that why he got burned? Because he tried to save Roman?

Roman had apparently figured that out a little faster than Logan. “Virgil, run. Get Patton and run. I’ll be fine.”   


“Okay. I’ll see you outside.”   


Roman turned to Logan. “I’m not letting you die in here too.”

Logan shook his head. “I won’t. And you won’t either.” Logan turned the dial on his watch and grabbed Roman’s hand. “Hold your breath.”   


The rushing sound filled his ears again, but this time Logan could see the terrified Roman next to him. 

_ Logan Sinclair and Roman Prince. Transporting to… _

“Present day. Remy Alexander’s house.”   


_ Destination granted.  _

Logan gripped Roman’s hand tighter as the area around them went black, then faded into the familiar living room of his best friend’s apartment.

“Holy  _ shit _ , Logan, we thought you were dead!”   


“Spoiler alert,” Logan grumbled. “Remes, can you go look up Virgil LeBlanc and Patton D’Ambrosia on your computer while I talk to Roman here?”   


“Why -” The rest of Remy’s question was cut off by a pointed look from Logan. “Yeah, I can do that.” With that, Logan’s shocked best friend turned on his heel and walked out of the room (dramatic as always). 

Roman glanced around the room in a panic. “Logan, where the hell are we?”

“Well, this is my friend Remy’s house, I technically have my own place, but I figured Remy could help a little bit. Plus, I only have one bedroom.” Logan shrugged, looking at Roman. “Are you alright?”

Roman nodded and then promptly collapsed on the floor. 

“What the  _ fuck?! _ ”   


“Remy, it’s fine!” Logan called, kneeling next to Roman. “Ro, come on, wake up,” he mumbled. “I should've thought of how overwhelming this was going to be.”

Remy leaned against the doorframe. “Your friends from the 20’s are fine, or something. I don’t really know what the marker for that is. I wasn’t obsessed with that story like you were.” He glanced down at Roman, who was laying on the ground with Logan hovering over him. “Logan, did you bring someone from the past to now? That’s a terrible freakin’ idea.”   


“He was going to die,” Logan responded, standing up to get some water for Roman when he woke up. “I couldn’t let him.”   


Remy nodded. “So you fell in love with him?”

Logan sighed, hanging his head as he walked to the kitchen. “Yeah, maybe.”

“Well, Logan, when you go against the law, you go all out. I gotta say, though, very nice taste in men,” Remy remarked, sitting on the floor next to Roman. 

“Remes, shut up,” Logan said as he returned with the water. “Is there anything you’re supposed to do when someone faints other than just wait for them to wake up?”   


“I don’t think -” Remy’s sentence was cut short by Roman’s eyes fluttering open, causing Remy to jump. “Logan!”

“I’m right next to you, Remes. Ro, are you alright?” Logan asked, sitting next to him as Roman sat up. “I have some water. I should have thought…” he chuckled. “Well, it must have been a little overwhelming.”

Remy waved. “Hi. I’m Remy. Welcome to the present. Is Logan your boyfriend?”

“Boyfriend? Is that legal here?” Roman asked, glancing hopefully at Logan.

He laughed. “I sure hope it’s legal, because otherwise we’ve all been misinformed, like, a lot.”

Logan nodded along with Remy. “So, yes, I suppose you’re kind of my boyfriend.”

Roman beamed, clearly very happy with this information. “That is great.”

“Yes, yes it is. Remy, can I see the Wiki page for the fire? You can get Roman settled.”   


Remy shot Logan a death glare, but stood up and held out his hand to the other. “Come on, I suppose you can have Logan’s room for now.”   


Logan mouthed a goodbye to Roman and headed to the room where Remy must have left his laptop. “Delacour Theater fire, 1924. None injured, two casualties.” He sighed. “Aw, they think I died too. But none injured? Did Virgil not get burned anymore? I hope not.”   


The Wiki didn’t tell him what he needed to know. “Activate TALYN.”

_ TALYN activated _ . 

“Logan Sinclair! What -”   


“Please tell me the fates of Patton D’Ambrosia and Virgil LeBlanc,” Logan interrupted, anxious to find out what happened to them. 

“Virgil LeBlanc is not injured in the fire. Patton still suffers his breakdown, which is made slightly worse now that you have also died, in their eyes, but since Virgil is no longer injured, he is able to assist more with Patton and eventually Patton makes a full recovery, but he never works anywhere without Virgil again.”

“Aw, that’s good. Deactivate TALYN.”

_ TALYN deactivated.  _

Logan got up and walked over to his room - well, Roman’s room - and leaned against the doorframe. Remy had left, evidently, and Roman had fallen asleep. It had been a very stressful day for him. He looked peaceful, finally. 

It wasn’t a great day for Roman, but it had been the best month of Logan’s life. Kind of. 

 

_ ten years later _

 

Logan was leaning against the balcony of a box before a show as Roman came up to him and put his arm around him. “Memories, huh?”

Logan smiled and leaned into his husband’s arms. “I wouldn’t say pleasant ones, but it does remind me quite a bit of Delacour.”

“Yeah, it really does.”   


Logan looked up at Roman. “Do you ever miss it?”

“I miss Patton, and Virgil. I miss Terrence and Valerie. But I don’t know if I could have lived there without you.” Roman kissed the top of Logan’s head, which made him blush.

“Ew, gross!” a voice cried, causing Roman to turn around and laugh, saying, “Jeremy Patton Sinclair-Prince," full name, of course, "it’s just your dads.”   


Their son crossed his arms. “Well, I think it’s gross.”   


Logan laughed as well and pushed himself off the railing. “Come on, sit down. The show starts soon.”   


Logan watched as Roman entertained the child as they waited for the lights to dim, and while as much as Logan sometimes wished he hadn’t taken Roman with him, and just told him to run, he would have never had this perfect moment. 

It was selfish, sure, and he’d had many a moment where he broke down just from the feeling of it, but Roman was happy with him. And Logan was happy too. 

So, what would you do?   


Save your true love and get your happily ever after?   


Or was there something else? Could you have figured out a way to save Patton and Virgil too?   


Maybe. But Logan was content enough to hold his husband’s hand as the lights dimmed and the show started, with the promise of another tomorrow with Roman always there. 

**Author's Note:**

> as always, my tumblr is @adultmorelikeadolt, i have a running taglist there and most of my fics get uploaded to both platforms! 
> 
> my name's remi, by the way. feel free to use it when you yell at me. 
> 
> like, comment, subscribe, leave kudos, whatever you feel! this is part of a quick spam of me uploading some tumblr fics to ao3, don't worry if you see a lot of logince at once.


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